Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. I'm really grateful to know that we know the answer, Saxton said. You dont have to marry me. If its really what happened Im so sorry you had to go through that alone, Lucas said in a text to Schelling. Learn more about Dan here. Strangely enough, around the same time, the family of another missing woman 1,200 miles away in Portsmouth, Ohio, had been receiving similar messages. She also said Schellings medical paperwork indicated that she self-reported discontinuing her birth control in October 2012. The community organized search efforts to try and find Schelling with her family filing a lawsuit in 2015 against the Pueblo Police Department and the Lucas family. Ryan Rivera said that Lucas once told him while they were about to play a game of cards that investigators would never find Schelling's body. Police found surveillance video showing Lucas driving her car at an ATM 12 hours after Schelling arrived in Pueblo. You can use the money and fill the car up…. Kelsie's father Doug Schelling received a strange text from his daughter when he tried to check on her. By May 2018, a judge said prosecutors had proved probable cause. There are no cameras allowed in the building and no live reporting from the courthouse. Prosecutors told jurors that Lucas was trying to get Schelling to Pueblo and sent her a text message saying he had a surprise for her. Saxton got choked up when identifying her daughter's birth certificate, passport, and an expired passport from when #Schelling was "just a little girl." Kelsie Schelling disappearance: Second witness says she became intimate with Donthe Lucas They continued to press Lucas about the vehicle, and he several times denied moving it after parking it. Chostner says there was more evidence to work with in 2017 versus 2013, and enough that gave him the confidence to press charges. Editor's note: A previous version of this story said Rivera testified that Lucas specifically admitted to killing Kelsie Schelling. Saxtons hope was for answers. Binet testified Monday he contacted Donthe Lucas on Feb. 10th. Pueblo Police Capt. At 11:29 a.m. on Feb. 5, Torres said Lucas texted his mother, Going to make sure she didnt leave anything in the house. Saxton rallied the Pueblo community and led her own searches for her missing daughter around the city. Lucas claimed he and Schelling then went to the South Side Walmart so Schelling could grab some snacks before driving back to Denver. Dateline's new documentary series "The Last Day" premiered this week with an episode about the killing of 20-year-old Iowan Mollie Tibbetts. The person sending the messages says I know where Megan is. Hours later she vanished. Text messages show he first instructed her to go to a specific Walmart on the south side of town. : The UN in Libya; 3. However, 20/20 learned that in March 2013, a woman named Roxann Wilkins reached out to Schellings mother through the Facebook page, saying she used to date Lucas and he had confessed to her that he killed Schelling and where her body was. (1) 2021 TV-14. -- It's been over eight years since Laura Saxton's 21-year-old pregnant daughter Kelsie Schelling vanished. [He said] that [she] was his best friend and he had nothing to do with it, and then he would just shut down and start crying hysterically and get upset, Suhr said. Kelsie Schelling disappeared after driving down from Denver to Pueblo on February 4th, 2013. (viaABC News). It was just a special bond that we formed. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. The defenses strategy, though, was to contend how this case was the biggest stretch in Colorado history as there was no body, no crime scene, and no DNA evidence against Donthe. Saxton also pleaded with police to not stop searching for her daughter's body, so she can have a proper burial. Investigators have said he took $400 out of her account on that day. However, in January of 2019, both the prosecution and defense said they would not be ready to go to trial by early April 2019, because of an additional 125 witnesses who could possibly be called to testify. Lucas, according to Torres recap of the text exchange, replied, Cool, then said he wished Schelling didnt have to work that evening. She wanted that baby. . It made me sick. Some of Schellings close friends also testified that Lucas was abusive. We know that that's his phone. She had just seen her unborn child on an ultrasound, and she sent that photo to her on-again/off-again boyfriend. Help Find Kelsie/Facebook. I didn't want to get in any deeper than I had already gotten into.. Saxton said she remembered asking investigators if these items were in the vehicle when it was recovered and she was told they were not. Text messages show he first instructed her to go to a specific Walmart on the south side of town. Though Lucas has been sentenced to life behind bars for her murder, the exact location of Schellings remains have not been revealed and Saxton still hasnt been able to lay her to rest. I had no clue anybody was supposed to be exchanging nothing for a human being If I did know, I would not have been involved in this situation," the man told "20/20.". The story was featured in the international media, including on America's Most Wanted, [2] before her body was found near a lake in Missouri on June 6, 2007. She was happy. So-called jailhouse snitches are often considered to be not credible as jurors often ask what that witness may have received in return for testifying. I miss all the things that we didn't get to do together., 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Her boss called her not that long ago and offered her her job back.. The Parkview Medical Center, however, did not have any record of Schellings supposed visit. Plus, a baggage claim sticker leads to an arrest after human remains were found in two suitcases on the side of a Denver road in December (30:07). Schellings car was discovered more than a week after her disappearance without a trace of the young expectant mom. Tate said Schellings medical records did not indicate she was at any risk of a miscarriage. Goodnight., Torres said Lucas replied, Oh I know all of that … thanks for stating it for me.. Text messages showed the emotionally abusive relationship Kelsie was in. I grabbed my mother very tight and held her very close, Kelsies brother, Colby Schelling, said. I just get mad and I dont want to fight with you. This all eventually came to a head in February 2013, after Schelling seemingly vanished without a trace even though the investigation turned up activity on Schelling's cell per her phone records, along with footage of Lucas withdrawing $400 from his girlfriend's account in the days after her disappearance, per ABC News. Obviously it's an important piece of evidence that he moved the car because it shows he's covering up the crime. She called from a private number. There's no single person other than the defendant in 2017, who's saying that [Schelling] was into drugs and that she was a party girl, McCarthy said. In late 2017, there was another huge development. Weeks passed until police learned they needed to move quickly to catch Lucas. They dated on and off while there, and after two years, they both decided to leave the school. A jury. She texts him at 11:18 p.m., saying she has arrived at the meeting spot. Her body has never been found. Now, follow one mother's crusade for justice in this true crime investigation. In the following days, her parents and friends said Schellings texts continued to contain uncharacteristic punctuation and curt responses. She reached out to a private investigator, but they were also stonewalled by PPD. 4:34. His book charts the interlinked ontology and theory of subjectivity constructed by iek at the intersection of German idealism and Lacanian theory. I would like to have known what she finally settled on as a career, if she ever would've got married, had more kids, all those things, Saxton said. Donthe Isiah Lucas pleaded not guilty to the charge against him in 2018. Leave me alone, Lucas said. In a motion filed by Lucas, he claims the victim's father had a history of violence toward Kelsie and killed . Circumstantial and forensic evidence are prominen Roxann Martinez was shot and killed at the intersection of E. Kenyon Dr. and S. Wabash St. at 11 p.m. on Feb 25. At 1:34 p.m., Lucas sends another text saying, sorry again about the loss, telling Schelling he will soon be going up to Denver to drop off her car. Kelsie Schelling was over the moon. He said they got in an argument and he exited her vehicle, but Schelling stayed in Pueblo that night. We received the information from the Pueblo landfill that there was some video evidence of a vehicle being there. She also informed us that Donthe admitted to her to being the one on the video dropping Kelsie's car off at [the] hospital.. The white stain in #Schelling's car was negative for saliva. At that point I was kind of done, Suhr said. The 21-year-old from Colorado had already announced to family and friends that she was expecting, and she and her parents had even begun picking out baby names. Initially, their relationship seemed idyllic. In a separate incident reported in 2017, a man claimed that Lucas, aided by family members, attacked him over $1000 he claimed Lucas' family stole, perABC News. Binet said there were several red flags in Schellings case that led him to believe she was more than just missing. The jury convicted Lucas after approximately four hours of deliberation. I had information that Donthe was leaving Pueblo with members of his family and was heading to [Denver International Airport], Pueblo County District Attorney Jeff Chostner said. Ive been here over an hour just waiting., Schelling didnt show up to work on Feb. 5, and a worried co-worker tried calling her. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. It said, Where are you? You dont have an obligation to me. So, lets find out more about where he is today, shall we? 13M subscribers Kelsie Schelling goes to see boyfriend, never seen again: Part 3 Schelling left work and headed to Pueblo, Colorado, where her boyfriend Donthe Lucas asked her to meet. Either make things work with me or walk away.. OK. The trial, which began in February, was delayed multiple times, most recently due to someone in the courtroom testing positive for COVID-19. After a few weeks, they met in person. According to her, Schelling had gotten confirmation of her pregnancy on the day she disappeared. Just wait and see for yourself, Lucas allegedly says in the texts. Cadry -- that was the name she was going to give the child, Colby Schelling said. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here. Megan Lancaster, then 25, had disappeared just months after Schelling. Schelling's body hasn't been found. She said Tuesday in 2016 she was trying to gather information from Lucas about Schelling. Severe Weather I called Doug, her dad We all drove up to Denver that day, went into the apartment. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. ABCs 20/20: Kelsie Schelling, as the title suggests, is an episode that chronicles the 2013 disappearance and murder of 21-year-old Kelsie Schelling from Denver, Colorado. Dont worry about me. ET on ABC. Its really hard to find words to use for it, because its so awful. The homicide trial of Donthe Lucas, accused of first-degree murder in the 2013 disappearance of his pregnant girlfriend, Kelsie Schelling, resumed Monday with the testimony of Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Kevin Torres. Are you still coming (down to Pueblo) after work? Before 6 p.m., Torres said Schelling texted Lucas, Then step up and make a relationship with me work. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). She received a Facebook message from a person who claimed to be a woman but wanted to remain anonymous, and claimed to have information about Schellings disappearance. Binet said yes, but noted while an individual wanting to disappear might try not to leave a trail, they are most often not very successful.. Ive never had that phone.. While in jail for this offense, Lucas told an inmate about his involvement with Kelsie Schelling, saying no one would ever find her body (via KRDO). In the recording, Lucas tells Binet the last time he heard from Schelling was the previous day, Feb. 9. I told you Id give you everything you need when you get here so u dont need that job.. KOAA News5 on your time, streaming on your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and AndroidTV. In this week's True Crime Daily Podcast: An update to the Colorado cold case murder of missing pregnant woman Kelsie Schelling (1:50). Lauren Suhr, a young single mother who didnt know Kelsie Schelling or her family, was so moved by Schellings story that she decided she would try to get information on Schelling, on her own initiative, from Donthe Lucas. Then, at 11:10 p.m., he told her to go to another location near his grandmothers house. I knew once her car was found that something horrible had happened, because there's just no way that she would've gone somewhere and left her car, Saxton said. Torres said in the surveillance video showing the cash withdrawal, Schelling cannot be seen in the vehicle. Lucas was found guilty of first-degree murder in connection to the death or disappearance of Schelling. I dont feel right. Lucas was sentenced to life in prison without parole. But it soon became clear that Schelling had disappeared without a trace and no one knew where she was. Ad Choices, Benjamin Satterthwaite; Kelsie Schelling; Donthe Lucas, Criminal defense attorney Danielle Iredale, Body parts found in suitcases, luggage tags lead to suspected killer; Kelsie Schelling update - TCDPOD. They never found anything on those searches. Per Fox 21 News,Lucas purportedly had a strong reaction when he saw Schelling's neighbors hanging up missing flyers, and according to testimony at his trial, went as far as to harass the family of a middle-schooler who had helped aid in distributing them. I deliberated on it and I looked at the practicalities of it, Chostner said. Now that she is gone, Ive had to turn into a fighter, Saxton told 20/20.. I mean, who wants that for their child to be the final resting place? She was like, Stop calling me. "We're very thankful for this outcome, but in the end I didn't get Kelsey back, and that's what I wanted more than anything," said Schelling's mother, Laura Saxton shortly after the verdict was read. Eric Bravo took over the case with the help of Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) agent Kevin Torres. Donthe Lucas. For a full recap of Day 10 in the trial, click here. You dont have to have a happy little family with me. DENVER - A Pueblo County jury found Donthe Lucas guilty Monday of first-degree murder in the 2013 death of his girlfriend, Kelsie Schelling, after just a few hours of deliberations. Lucas said they met up again the following morning and that he brought Schelling to Parkview Medical Center, where she went inside the hospital and emerged a short time later, saying Im not pregnant. The suit criticized the way the investigation was handled but was ultimately dismissed. Former FBI agent and cellular software expert Scott Eicher testified Friday that cell phone records showed Schellings movements that night -- her phone, Eicher said, left the area of her employment in Denver, traveled south on Interstate 25 and eventually arrived in Pueblo. She was reportedly on her way from Denver to Pueblo to discuss the pregnancy with Lucas. The. Apparently she had a miscarriage yesterday.. Then, he proposed to her. Suhr said she always knew what she was doing, trying to gather information about Schelling, and never fell in love with Lucas. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Lucas pleaded not guilty to the murder charges in August 2018, and the judge set a trial date for 2019. I never want to give up on trying to bring her home. she said. It was discovered during the trial Wednesday morning that an upcoming witness in the trial was found shot to death last week in Denver. Please enter valid email address to continue. Kelsie Schelling's childhood rocked with emotional fallout from family split: Part 1Schelling's parents got divorced and she lived with her mother, Laura Sax. Lucas told Binet he and Schelling had not been on the best terms in recent months, as they wanted different things. Schelling was reportedly traveling from Denver to Pueblo to talk to Lucas about the pregnancy. For that reason, little DNA evidence was presented. Schelling left work shortly after 8:40 p.m. and drove two hours to see Lucas in Pueblo. How to Build a State? "Kelsie Schelling was feloniously killed when Donthe Lucas committed first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or manslaughter against Kelsie and Sara Lucas and Lucas acted as. A little bit later, he got back with me. The car was moved from that location the following morning, then showed up at St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center Feb. 9. No blood was detected in #Schelling's car. Schellings friends said they remembered her relationship with Lucas was often tumultuous, with the two constantly fighting and making up -- then the unthinkable happened. Love you Donthe.. [3] Overview [ edit] It's still an open case. Since the trial is over, and Kelsie still hasn't been found I've just felt very, very lost and very empty, Saxton said in the week following the trial. On Feb. 4, 2013, Saxton said she called Kelsie's phone several times but didn't get an answer. Schelling,. Nevertheless, after just three hours of deliberation, on March 8, 2021, a 12-member jury found him guilty of first-degree murder, and the judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Updated June 10, 2022 ABC's '20/20: Kelsie Schelling,' as the title suggests, is an episode that chronicles the 2013 disappearance and murder of 21-year-old Kelsie Schelling from Denver, Colorado. Emmanuel Chandler, then 29, turned himself in for the crime and has not yet entered a plea.. No one but the investigators knew what Martinez was planning to say in her testimony. She texts him at 10:20 p.m., saying shes arrived and Lucas replies that hell be there shortly. There are also limits on the number of people who can be in the courtroom because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Version table provides details related to the release that this issue/RFE will be addressed. 0:00. The lead investigator on the case from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation believes Schelling was strangled by Lucas after he lured her down to Pueblo. As difficult as it was, its not impossible. She texts again at 11:24 p.m., saying Where are you? According to Lucas' account,the couple drank alcohol together and used marijuana and cocaine that night, the latter of which Lucas alleged was a surprise gift to Schelling. Lucas insisted to the man, who later testified about the incident in court, that he wouldn't be convicted of that crime but in the end, it seemed to seal his fate. Waiting for your permission to load facebook comments. / CBS Colorado. In cross examination, Tameler asked Binet if, in his time with the missing and exploited persons unit, hed encountered people who intentionally disappeared to get away from their lives, and if such people tend to make sure they dont leave indicators to where they might be going. Next on the witness stand was Kathleen Tate, a medical doctor who handled Schellings original OBGYN visit on Feb. 4. However McCarthy said, there was no deals made about charges he would get to plead to, time he would get to serve. It's a sad situation that didn't have to end up like this if he had just let her come home.. Ive been here for over an hour just waiting.. You heard from Detective Kevin Torres how important the first 48 hours of an investigation are, and this defendant had 264, Chostner told the jury in closing arguments. They found out that hed withdrawn $400 from her bank account. Forget Im pregnant, seriously., Just before 3 a.m., according to Torres testimony, Schelling texted Lucas, You dont have to be in a relationship with me. 21-year-old Kelsie Schelling was two months pregnant when she drove from Denver to Pueblo to see her former boyfriend Donthe Lucas. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Opening statements in murder trial begin in case of Kelsie Schelling's disappearance, Donthe Lucas murder trial will begin Wednesday, Long-awaited murder trial to begin in the case of Kelsie Schelling's disappearance, Previous coverage: The Kelsie Schelling Case. Donthe Lucas, 28, was found guilty on Monday in the killing of his missing girlfriend, Kelsie Schelling, according to the Denver Post. Combien gagne t il d argent ? Months turned to years without answers. Moreover, only a day earlier in Denver, Schelling's doctor had told her that the baby was healthy. The prosecution asked Binet if Lucas had told Sinnema in their Feb. 9 conversation about Schelling calling him from the private number that same day. She claimed Schelling was alive. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Lucas also admitted to Suhr that he was the person seen in the Walmart surveillance footage and that he moved the car to St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center. Dan is a reporter with the 13 Investigates team. Binet asked Lucas if he had any idea where Schelling might be, to which Lucas replied: Honestly, Im not too sure. Saxton never met with Marcus at the McDonalds after Vancouver Police backed out of their involvement, believing it to be a scam. Schelling was eight weeks pregnant when her friends and family last heard from her on February 4, 2013, when she visited the likely father of her unborn child. He said Schelling wanted a relationship but thats not what he wanted. They planned to meet but at the last minute, Wilkins told Saxton she was in the hospital and could not come. Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. Apart from that, there is also CCTV footage that shows him driving Kelsies car and withdrawing $400 from her bank account the morning after she vanished. Criminal defense attorney Danielle Iredale joins host Ana Garcia. Kelsie Schelling with her mom Laura Saxton. It was years before he went to trial for Schellings murder. Later, when Schelling's car was recovered, Lucas' DNA and a strand of his mother's hair were discovered inside. Her friend was also in communication with Schelling's mom, Laura Saxton. Donthe Lucas was found guilty of murdering his then-pregnant girlfriend, Kelsie Schelling, in 2013. They instructed Saxton to bring the money to a specific McDonalds restaurant in Vancouver, Washington, and to hand deliver it to a person named Marcus who would be wearing a red hat. The UN and the Colonial World: International Trusteeship and Non-Self-Governing Territories; 2. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) -Donthe Lucas was found guilty of murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend Kelsie Schelling in 2013. He said that Schelling had called him early that morning from a private number and said he told Schelling she needed to get in touch with her family members because they were worried about her. Since meeting in 2010 as students at a junior college in Colorado, Kelsie Schelling and Donthe Lucas purportedly had a fraught relationship, one which allegedly turned abusive on the part of Lucas, according to Schelling's friends and relatives (via Fox 21 News). 20/20 was there when Marcus went to collect the cash in 2015 -- with Lancaster and an undercover reporter using a hidden camera and microphone. In this week's True Crime Daily Podcast: An update to the Colorado cold case murder of missing pregnant woman Kelsie Schelling (1:50). Testimony in the trial is set to resume Tuesday, with Schelling's older brother, Colby Schelling, on the witness stand. Suhr said the plan was basically just to kind of befriend him, get to know him, try and meet him, see what his family was like, see if I could get him to talk about anything.. This verdict came after the prosecutors shined a light on Donthes relationship with Kelsie and argued that he lured her to Pueblo to kill her after learning about the pregnancy. Her phone, according to Torres and Eicher, was also never recorded as having left Pueblo. I mean, it's a sad story. That's direct evidence.. At the end of the day, I said, I think we have enough here to go forward. Lately shes been like threatening to leave to California. Donthe took that away from me.. 17 Jan 2023 Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert (2023 film) . Ryan Rivera, a former Pueblo County Jail inmate and a friend of Lucas, also testified. Schelling, 21, was eight weeks pregnant at the time of her disappearance, according to news reports. At 9:56 p.m., she texts again, saying, Almost there. 10:50 a.m.: Opening statements wrapped up from prosecutors and Donthe Lucas' defense. Prosecutors told jurors, "This is not a missing persons case it is a homicide case," before saying that they are certain they'll be able to prove she was killed. In February 2013, Kelsie Schelling was very happy to find out she was eight weeks pregnant, according to ABC News. Walker said domestic violence, broadly speaking, addresses patterns of coercive control where one person in a relationship maintains power over the other. When the time came, Saxton even took the stand against her daughters killer. Suspecting foul play, police accelerated the investigation. Saxton called Lucas, asking if he knew anything about her daughters disappearance. He testified to various tests he ran on around 45 items of evidence. Dont worry. Silly, she was so silly., I miss being silly with her, Saxton added. She wanted to see what I was going to do if I was going to leave her, try to help her, a whole bunch of crazy stuff., He said Schelling visited him around 2 a.m.Feb. 5, after shed driven to Pueblo and met him near his grandmothers house. Kelsie Schelling, 21, vanished in February 2013 shortly after finding out that she was eight weeks pregnant. She said the plan, orchestrated by one of her close friends, was to get close to Lucas. The argument between Schelling and Lucas, according to the exchanged texts as recounted by Torres, continued into the early morning hours of Feb. 4. Schelling's family has set up a website called HelpFindKelsie.com and are reportedly offering a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest. Lucas said Schelling told him before she came to Pueblo that she was pregnant and had gone to a doctor for an ultrasound. A murder conviction without a body is an instance of a person being convicted of murder despite the absence of the victim's body. The prosecution also used surveillance video of Lucas alone at the Walmart and cell phone data showing his location indicated he had been driving in Schellings car after she vanished. Once the money was exchanged, then this courier person would go and get Kelsie and bring her back to the McDonalds, Saxton said of the instructions she received. Im very grateful that our paths crossed and God took us to this moment.. Doctor's records confirmed that she was eight weeks pregnant, with the presumed father being. Around the same time, texts were also being exchanged from Lucas and Schellings phones. If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.